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Armenia praises Greece for law banning denial of genocide

Armenia on Wednesday praised Greece for approving a law banning the denial of genocide as Yerevan calls for the massacre of Armenians during World War I in present-day Turkey to be internationally recognised as genocide.

"Armenia welcomes the adoption of a bill on September 9 by the Greek parliament, which criminalises the denial of genocides,» Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in a statement.

"The adoption of this bill... is an important step towards the prevention of genocides and other heinous crimes against humanity,» he added.

After a year of debates, the Greek parliament on Tuesday passed a new law that punishes those denying or praising the Holocaust, genocide and war crimes against humanity.

Armenia has long sought for 1915 massacres by the Ottoman Empire in which it says up to 1.5 million people were killed to be internationally recognised as genocide.

Turkey has fiercely rejected the term, arguing that 300,000 to 500,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife when Armenians rose up against their Ottoman rulers and sided with invading Russian troops.